Balanced Offensive Attack Powers Northeastern Over Charleston, 10-3
Rob Washburn
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WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 27, 2021) – Top-seeded Northeastern got at least one hit from all nine starters and rolled to a 10-3 win over #4 Charleston on Thursday afternoon in Game 4 of the 2021 CAA Baseball Championship at UNCW’s Brooks Field.
The Huskies (33-9) advance in the winner’s bracket and will meet either UNCW or Elon at 7 p.m. on Friday. Charleston (25-24) will take on #6 William & Mary in an elimination game at 11 a.m. on Friday.
First baseman Ian Fair went 3-for-5 with a double, homer and two RBI’s and Scott Holzwasser was 2-for-5 and drove in three to lead Northeastern’s 14-hit attack. Danny Crossen and Max Viera added two hits apiece and Ben Malgeri contributed a three-run homer.
The Huskies’ offense provided more than enough support for freshman right-handed pitcher Cam Schlittler, who improved to 8-0 on the season after scattering eight hits and giving up three runs over 8.0 innings while striking out six. The CAA Co-Rookie of the Year retired nine in a row in the middle innings.
Northeastern, which improved to 17-0 this season when scoring in the first inning, came out swinging with six runs on six hits in the opening frame. Jeff Costello and Viera got things started with back-to-back base hits and both came home when Holzwasser blooped a single into right field. After a Crossen single, Malgeri smacked a three-run homer to left, putting the Huskies ahead 5-0. NU added one more as Costello’s sacrifice fly brought in Fair.
Charleston trimmed the deficit in the second on a solo homer by catcher Jared Kirven, but the Huskies used the long ball to expand their advantage. Fair delivered a two-run shot in the bottom of the third and CAA Player of the Year Jared Dupere launched his league-leading 18
th homer of the season in the fourth to make it 9-1.
The Huskies capped their scoring in the sixth. Viera doubled down the left-field line and Holzwasser picked up his third RBI of the afternoon with a two-out base hit.
Charleston put two runs on the board in the eighth. Cam Dean and Trotter Harlan singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Dean scored on a groundout and Harlan was driven in by Tanner Steffy’s base hit.
Steffy finished 2-for-4 with a RBI and Harlan was 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Cougars.